SIARQ-UFRJ Arquivo Central (Sistema de Arquivos da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro)

Overview

SIARQ-UFRJ (Sistema de Arquivos da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro) is the university archives system of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil's largest federal university. Its central coordinating body, the Arquivo Central (Central Archive), is a unit of UFRJ's central administration, directly subordinate to the Rector's Office. SIARQ was formally created by Rector's Ordinance No. 2,726 of March 29, 2016, and is responsible for the development, preservation, access, and dissemination of all archival holdings of the university.

History and Founding

The institutional history of UFRJ's archives dates to 1946, with the approval of the university's first statute. The Serviço de Comunicações (SECOM), linked to the Central Administration Department, was the first unit to perform general filing and protocol functions. Over the following decades this unit underwent several reorganizations: it became the Divisão de Comunicações (DICOM) in 1988 and the Divisão de Gestão Documental e da Informação (DGDI) in 2005. The first formal efforts to regulate the Central Archive and create a university-wide archives system began in 2006. After years of work, the SIARQ-UFRJ was formally established in 2016. The university itself, originally founded as the Universidade do Rio de Janeiro in 1920, later became the Universidade do Brasil and finally the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

Collections and Holdings

The holdings of the Arquivo Central consist primarily of administrative records produced and received by UFRJ since its founding, covering the periods of its three institutional names: Universidade do Rio de Janeiro (URJ), Universidade do Brasil (UB), and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). These records document the administrative, academic, and institutional history of one of Brazil's leading research universities. The SIARQ system extends beyond the Arquivo Central to coordinate archival practices across all of UFRJ's academic and administrative units. Access to some documents requires prior authorization.

Access and Usage

The Arquivo Central is open to researchers and the public Monday through Friday, 9:00–11:00 and 13:00–17:00, at the Rectory Building (Prédio da Reitoria) on the Cidade Universitária campus in Rio de Janeiro. Reproduction of documents by electrostatic, digital, and photographic means is available where the conservation state of the original permits.